EP0074451A1 - Crop conditioning machine such as mower-conditioner or harvester-conditioner - Google Patents

Abstract

1. A machine for conditioning crop products such as a harvesting conditioning machine or pick-up conditioning machine, comprising a cutter bar (2) or a pick-up means of substantial width which is disposed transversely to the direction of movement of the machine, a transverse conveyor screw (5) disposed rearwardly of said cutter or said pick-up means when considering said direction of movement of the machine and having lateral pitches (6) of opposite directions for concentrating the reaped or picked-up crop products which are supplied to the conveyor screw, towards the central portion of the machine, and a conditioning device (10) formed by a rotor mounted in said central portion of the machine rearwardly of said conveyor screw and provided with conditioning elements (12), characterised in that said conditioning elements (12) are distributed over the length of the conditioning rotor (10) in accordance with an arrangement which is more dense towards the ends of said rotor than in the middle portion thereof.

Description

The present invention relates generally to mower-conditioners, pick-up-conditioners or similar machines.

The mower-conditioners include cutting means for mowing standing crop products such as fodder and subjecting these products to conditioning before placing them on the ground in swath for drying and subsequent recovery. These machines, which are most often coupled to a tractor but which can also be self-propelled, comprise at the front part of a chassis a cutter bar which can be a blade driven back and forth, from disc type or the like.

There is provided on the machine chassis, behind this cutter bar, a conditioning device, which receives the mown crop products and which can be formed by rollers or cylinders, most often fluted or profiled, or else by a rotor provided with paddles, fingers or the like, which is driven at a high rotational speed. This rotor generally cooperates with a profiled cover for, on the one hand, subjecting the harvested products to packaging by breaking the stems to allow better drying and, on the other hand, to project the conditioned products towards the rear of the machine, where they are directed towards the ground in order to be deposited in swath by a deflector of suitable form.

In pick-up-conditioners, the cutting mechanism is replaced by a pick-up, the function of which is simply to collect already cut crop products from the ground, to subject them to packaging. The conditioning members may, in this case, be of the same general type as above. The products picked up and packaged are then deposited again on the swathed ground, for their recovery for example by a baler.

It is known in this technique to use to form the packaging device, various types of rotors, some of which include a drum provided on its periphery with fins or pallets, while the others are formed by a shaft carrying elements in the form of legs or yokes for mounting to articulation of fingers or plagues. The latter can themselves have different shapes, and it is known, for example, to improve the efficiency of packaging, to give them a general V shape, or else to constitute them by a rod terminated by a V portion.

In the case of mower-conditioners comprising a cutter bar of the disc type and a conditioning device formed by a rotor, it is known in particular, from French patent 78-32 341, to concentrate the fingers or flails along the length of the rotor in the parts of the latter situated generally opposite the intervals formed between pairs of counter-rotating discs of the cutter bar, and more particularly opposite the intervals at the right of which the peripheries of the neighboring discs are move from front to back. In fact, it has been observed that there is a concentration of products in these zones, along the length of the cutter bar, so that the increase in the number of packaging elements in these zones compensates for this concentration and consequently allows get better conditioning.

To take into account the current trend of agricultural machinery, which is to increase efficiency and yield, it has already been proposed to make mower-conditioners or pick-up-conditioners comprising a very wide cutter bar or picker. by being able to form a swath of smaller width behind the machine. This makes it possible to work in the field over a large mowing or picking width, while obtaining behind the machine a swath of usual width, which can be easily taken up by conventional machines such as presses for example.

To achieve this result, it has been proposed, in particular in US patent 3,474,602, in German patent applications 1,482,242 and 2,104,512 and in European patent application 0 028 045, to provide on the machine in rear of the cutter bar or pick-up, but in front of the packaging device, a transverse conveyor screw whose lateral parts have threads in opposite directions so as to produce, when this conveyor screw is rotated, a displacement of the products to the center of the machine. This makes it possible to mount behind a cutter bar or a large width picker a conditioning device of normal width, corresponding in principle to the width of the swath to be formed on the ground by the harvested products.

Research by the Demanding Company has however shown that, in such a case, the efficiency or the quality of the packaging produced by the machine was less good and in fact irregular. This research has shown that this irregularity in the packaging results from the fact that the displacement of the crop products towards the center of the machine by the conveyor screw results in a lack of uniformity of flow over the width of the packaging device, and in fact that the density of products is greater towards the sides of this packaging device than at its center. This is explained by the fact that the central part of the packaging device receives the products coming from a central part in principle of the same transverse extent of the cutter bar, while it occurs, towards the sides of the packaging device. , an accumulation of products which are brought to this device, on each side, by the conveyor screw.

The object of the invention is to provide a solution to the problem thus posed and to create a mower-conditioner or pick-up-conditioner of the large width cutter bar or picker type providing uniform packaging of the harvested products.

The invention relates to a machine for packaging crop products, such as a mower-conditioner or pick-up-conditioner, comprising a cutter bar or a large-width picker arranged transversely to the direction of movement of the machine, a transverse conveyor screw provided. behind this cutter bar or this pick-up when we consider this direction of movement of the machine and having lateral threads in opposite directions to concentrate the mowed or picked crop products reaching this conveyor screw towards the central part of the machine , and a conditioning device formed by a rotor, mounted in this central part of the machine behind this conveyor screw and furnished with conditioning elements, characterized in that these conditioning elements are distributed over the length of the conditioning rotor in a denser arrangement towards the ends of said rotor than in - its part median. Thus, the number of conditioning elements per unit of length of the rotor is higher towards the ends of this rotor than towards its center.

According to a possible embodiment, the conditioning elements are arranged on the rotor in rows extending axially with respect to this rotor and, in this case, the axial spacing between the neighboring elements is smaller towards the ends of the rotor than in its middle part.

However, it is also possible, if desired, to provide between axial rows of conditioning elements distributed at a uniform spacing over the length of the rotor, other intermediate rows of conditioning elements comprising such conditioning elements only in the parts of the rotor close to its ends, thereby increasing the density of conditioning elements towards said ends of the rotor.

It goes without saying, however, that these two possibilities can also be combined, that is to say that it is possible to provide axial rows of packaging elements in which said elements packaging have a smaller "pitch" or spacing towards the ends of the rotor, and intermediate rows comprising such conditioning elements only towards these ends of the rotor.

When such intermediate rows are provided, the packaging elements which constitute them are judiciously staggered with respect to the packaging elements of the other rows.

However, the distribution of the conditioning elements on the rotor could also be chosen differently, provided that this greater density of conditioning elements is obtained towards the ends of the rotor. Thus, the packaging elements could, if desired, be distributed along lines of elements extending in a helix around the core, the barrel or the rotor shaft.

According to a feature of the invention, the density of conditioning elements varies over the length of the rotor substantially as a function of the quantity of harvested products reaching the rotor in each part of this length. Such a variation in density can be easily determined empirically.

The variation in density of packaging elements can be substantially progressive over the length of the rotor, from its center towards its ends, or it can vary by stages or sections, the length of the rotor being able in this case to be subdivided for example into three or five sections, namely a central section comprising a small number of conditioning elements, and on each side, one or two lateral sections furnished with a greater number of conditioning elements, this number increasing from one section to the other other towards the corresponding end of the conditioning rotor.

The research carried out has shown that the abovementioned disadvantages resulting from the irregularity of packaging of the harvested products are remedied in this way and that, on the contrary, a good uniformity of packaging of all mown or picked products.

The packaging elements can be of any desired type. They can be formed, for example, by legs or pallets carried by a core or rotor end. However, a particularly advantageous result appears to be obtained with a conditioning rotor formed by a shaft carrying fingers or flails articulated on it, in particular fingers or flails with an active V-shaped part.

The description which follows, made with reference to the appended drawing, given without limitation, will make it easier to understand the invention.

Fig. 1 is a partial plan view with cutaway of a mower-conditioner according to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a corresponding partial vertical section view.

In the drawing, diagrammatically indicated at 1 is the chassis or body of a mower-conditioner, which carries at its front part a cutter bar generally designated by the reference 2, combined with a reel 3. This bar is formed in this case by contra-rotating discs 4 which mow the standing crop products, for example fodder, during the progression of the machine, which can be coupled to a tractor or be of the self-propelled type.

In a manner known per se, there is provided behind the cutter bar 2 a conveyor screw 5 which has in its lateral parts threads 6 of opposite directions.

The body 1 of the machine comprises, in a rear wall 7 partially enveloping the conveyor screw, an outlet orifice 8 of width less than the width of the machine and providing a passage 9 in which is mounted a conditioning rotor 10 which, in the case considered here, comprises a shaft 11 on which fingers or flails 12 having a general V shape are articulated by yokes 13.

All of these elements of a mower-conditioner are known per se. The mown products are transferred by means not shown to the conveyor screw 5. Taking into account the presence of the lateral threads of opposite directions of the screw 5, the harvested products reaching the lateral parts of this conveyor screw are brought towards the center of the machine and are thus transferred through the passage orifice 8 to the conditioning rotor 10. During their packaging, the products are projected backwards inside a cover (not shown) and are deposited on the swath floor at the rear of the machine by a deflector (also not shown).

A mower-conditioner of this type makes it possible to mow over a large working width while obtaining, after the passage of the machine, a swath of usual width, allowing easy recovery of the products for example by a baler. Concentration is achieved by the conveyor screw 5.

However, in practice, machines of this type have been found to have an irregularity in the degree of packaging of the harvested products.

This phenomenon can be explained by the fact that, if one artificially divides the width of the machine into a central zone X having a width corresponding to the width of the passage orifice 8, that is to say in made of the conditioning rotor 10, and in two lateral zones Y extending from the ends of the zone X to the sides of the machine, it can be seen that the harvested products mowed in the central zone of width X arrive substantially directly at the conditioning rotor 10, while the products mown in the lateral zones Y are received by the lateral parts of the conveyor screw 5 and are concentrated by these towards the central part of the machine, but do not reach its middle and are in fact transferred to the conditioning rotor 10 through the passage orifice 8 to the sides thereof.

In practice, this phenomenon is not as simple, since, in the case of a cutter bar with discs in particular, there is already a certain concentration of products between pairs of counter-rotating discs, at the intervals in which the peripheries of these discs rotate from front to rear, but considered in a way general the explanation above applies to the phenomenon of irregularity noted.

Consequently, the density of the harvested products is clearly greater on the sides of the passage orifice 8, that is to say towards the ends of the conditioning rotor, than in the middle of this orifice or this rotor. .

To take this fact into account, the conditioning fingers or flails 12 are, according to the invention, distributed over the length of the rotor in a denser distribution towards the ends of this rotor than in its middle part.

This variation in the distribution of the fingers or conditioning flails has been illustrated schematically in the drawing.

Thus, the number of conditioning elements is in fact adapted to the density or quantity of harvested products in each "section" of the passage channel 8 or of the conditioning rotor 10 considered in the longitudinal direction of the machine and this distribution density. increases from the center of the rotor 10 towards its ends.

As indicated above, the determination of the optimum density of the fingers or conditioning flails over the length of the rotor can be made empirically.

Since a larger quantity of harvested products is subjected to the effect of a higher number of conditioning fingers or plagues, this results in uniformly effective packaging at all points along the length of the rotor, thereby improving the quality of the resulting products.

As mentioned before, many possibilities will appear to technicians regarding the distribution of the conditioning elements, such as the fingers or plagues, on the rotor.

Claims (10)

1.- Harvesting product packaging machine, such as mower-conditioner or picker-conditioner, comprising a cutter bar (2) or a large-width picker arranged transversely to the direction of movement of the machine, a transverse conveyor screw (5) provided behind this cutter bar or this collector when we consider this direction of movement of the machine and having lateral threads (6) in opposite directions to concentrate the mowed or picked crop products reaching this conveyor screw towards the central part of the machine, and a conditioning device (10) formed by a rotor, mounted in this central part of the machine behind this conveyor screw and furnished with conditioning elements (12), characterized in that these conditioning elements (12) are distributed over the length of the conditioning rotor (10) in a denser arrangement towards the ends of said rotor than in s has middle part. 2. Machine according to claim 1 wherein the packaging elements (12) are arranged on the rotor (10) in rows axially extending with respect to said rotor, characterized in that the axial écar- _t ly between neighboring conditioning elements (12) is weaker towards the ends of the rotor than in its middle part. 3.- Machine according to claim 1 wherein the conditioning elements (12) are arranged on the rotor (10) in rows extending axially with respect to this rotor, characterized in that it is provided, between these axial rows conditioning elements (12), other intermediate rows of conditioning elements, comprising such elements only in the parts of the rotor (10) near its ends. 4.- Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the packaging elements (12) are, in the first axial rows, distributed according to a uniform spacing over the length of the rotor (10). 5.- Machine according to claim 3, characterized in that the conditioning elements (12) are, in the first axial rows, arranged in an axial spacing between the neighboring elements smaller towards the ends of the rotor (10) than in its middle part. 6.- Machine according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized in that the packaging elements (12) of the intermediate rows are staggered relative to the packaging elements of the other rows. 7.- Machine according to claim 1, characterized in that the conditioning elements (12) are, on the rotor (10), distributed along lines of elements extending in a helix around the core, the drum or the 'shaft (11) of the rotor, the spacing between pairs of neighboring elements decreasing from the center towards the ends of this rotor. 8.- Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the density of the conditioning elements (12) varies over the length of the rotor (10) substantially as a function of the quantity of harvested products reaching the rotor in each part of this length. 9.- Machine according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the density variation in conditioning elements (12) is progressive over the length of the rotor (10), from its center towards its ends. 10.- Machine according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the density variation in packaging elements (12) is carried out in stages in successive sections of the rotor.

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